1st Entry

I arrived in Kingston, Jamaica Saturday night and was fortunate enough to meet a Jamaican man who generously offered me a ride to the house where I’m staying (and who had the same name as me, naturally). Since my arrival I have continued to find Jamaica to be a warm and welcoming place.

The work environmental in the UNEP CAR-RCU office has been equally as welcoming. I have enjoyed the company of many of my coworkers over lunch most days, and am looking forward to working with them throughout the summer on various projects.

I spent much of the first few days familiarizing myself with current UNEP CAR-RCU projects and sub-programmes, and meeting people in the office. I am working within the Assessment and Management of Environmental Pollution (AMEP) sub-programme, and recently found out that I will be assisting with the Global Environment Facility – funded Caribbean Regional Fund for Wastwater Mannagement (GEF CreW) project. The CreW project currently has 4 financial pilot projects for wastewater treatment plant installation, improvements and repairs: one in Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. I will also be providing support in IT for the next few weeks, as the IT officer is moving on, and a new one will be hired soon.

Challenges Faced One of the challenges I have faced outside the office is finding cheap, tasty food. There are plenty of delicious things to eat here in Jamaica (we try new fruits almost every day!), but finding the best “bang for your buck” is always hard in a new place. The other interns and I have been trying various places for lunch, and so far the best way to find the good deals has been to ask our coworkers, as well as contact past interns.

Lessons Learnt Use the resources available to you. The best way to find cheap food and transport so far has been to ask the coworkers and housemates who are Jamaican, and always eager to help.